The House approved the first reauthorization of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 15 years last week with support from U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Dan Donovan (R-NY) and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA).
The Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act, H.R. 2825, reauthorizes DHS and component agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Secret Service for the first time since the department was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
“Our adversaries are determined to attack us and disrupt our way of life,” McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. “To stay ahead of America’s threats, we need a national security apparatus that can best adapt to new challenges as they arise. The threats we face have evolved in the past 15 years, and we must not only keep up with the evolution of the threats, we need to stay in front of them.”
McCaul added that House passage of H.R. 2825 on a vote of 386-41 was “a major bipartisan accomplishment and example of what Congress can achieve when we put the safety and security of our country ahead of politics.”
Goodlatte, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, noted on the House floor that “[a]uthorizing all of the Cabinet Departments is important, but it is crucial that Congress reauthorize the Department of Homeland Security.”
“This bill is the product of collaboration between several committees,” Goodlatte said. “And the Judiciary Committee greatly contributed as this bill authorizes three component agencies within the jurisdiction of the House Judiciary Committee – United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the United States Secret Service.”
Goodlatte added that he supported the bill because it marks an important step in ensuring that ICE and USCIS can continue to perform effectively. However, he also urged Congress to ensure that the agencies have the resources necessary to enforce the nation’s immigration laws.
The DHS reauthorization bill also included legislation previously introduced by Donovan, the Promoting Resilience in Preparing for Attacks and Responding to Emergencies (PREPARE) Act. The measure would streamline DHS programs and authorize grants to support first responder training, disaster preparedness and response, and cyber security and counter-terror defenses.
“Our nation is reminded each day of the increased and evolving threat environment we face,” Donovan said. “Whether it’s multiple terror attacks in Europe, global cyber threats, drugs being smuggled through our borders or the risk of a powerful storm reaching our coast — it’s clear that we must continue to enhance our preparedness capabilities. This bill takes necessary steps to reauthorize the DHS and puts in place reforms to ensure that DHS is better able to secure our homeland.”